CroppMetcalfe

Their customer service was very straightforward and very easy. They answered all my questions and helped me find the best plan for my unit.

They do good work! They are very responsive and professional! I will continue to use their services.

They returned to check on noise. We used them a few years ago to replace the A/C. Good experiences both times.

We bought our condo's HVAC system from Cropp-Metcalfe over 5 years ago and have maintained a twice-annual maintenance package w/ them. Since they usually send a different worker (w/different levels of experience)each time, my advice is to ask each worker questions--it helps to understand current system status or potential future problems. Make sure to study up before buying any add-ons. Overall, we recommend Cropp-Metcalfe, but stay involved and keep your eyes open from sales to service to repairs. ASK questions and keep an accurate file. ps--buy your own filters on-line at 1/2 cost

I was very pleased with the entire experience.

I called for someone to fix my broken gas furnace. They sent Francisco at 8am on Friday, and he spent over an hour troubleshooting my Trane furnace. He wasnt sure if the motherboard or the Inducer was bad, so he ordered both. He told me that someone would call as soon as the parts were available. 24 hours passed, and I called back to their main office. The office assured the parts had been ordered, but that they would be in until monday, at the earliest. Monday at 11am I received a call and was told that the parts guys didnt understand what Francisco wanted to be ordered. I was then told that they needed to send out a "senior technician" to figure out what was going on. Keep in mind that we had been without heat for 4 days already. I told them not to bother and that I was taking my business elsewhere. I called another company, who arrived, trouble shot the problem, got the parts, and repaired my furnace all within a 4 hour window. CroppMetcalfe is a horrible, horrible company who doesnt care about its customers and needlessly subjected my family to the winter weather without heat for 4 days. Shame on you.

Cropp Metcalfe does not honor their agreements! Their techs perform services they don't know how to do! Bad business! DO NOT USE! I purchased the annual inspection contract with Cropp Metcalfe. Inspected in the spring, no issues. Inspected in the fall, before the heat really turned on...no issues, until the heat came on. The whole house humidifier didnt work. No water flowing to the device--CM tech must have not even checked it because it was less than a month later. Since they say very clearly on their invoices 'WE SERVE OUR CUSTOMERS FIRST!" I was expecting a quick call back to schedule an appointment. But no, in fact 3 months later I am STILL waiting for a call back. I called 3 times and went online to request an appointment. Not a call back at all. So I ended up going to another HVAC company and getting ripped off because I wasn't one of their customers. Bet you they'll call me when its time for a contract renewal! However, our relationship is over.

The technician came to evaluate the problem the day I called, which was great. He took about 20 minutes and said that I could replace the broken part for about $3000, but they wouldn't give any warranty on it because the unit itself was pretty old. He made an appointment for a sales guy to come by and give me the official quote. The sales guy arrived on time and basically took measurements and told me he would get me the official quote by Monday (he was there on a Friday). I said that was no problem, but I did not receive the quote until Wednesday at about 5pm and after leaving several messages and emails for the quote. The quote was only to replace the entire unit which was about $6,500. Since it was taking so long to get the quote, I called two other companies to come and look at the unit. BOTH companies said that the unit was definitely repairable and that a replacement was not necessary. I was able to get the unit fixed for about $200. I will NOT be calling Cropp Metcalfe again!!!! I think they definitely took advantage of my lack of knowledge about heating units.

Cropp-Metcalfe replaced our whole-house electric heat pump system in 1997, and we've been on their "Gold" service contract ever since. After many (many) requests for a quote to pro-actively replace our almost sixteen year old system, we finally received a quote. We agreed, and scheduled the install, which luckily occurred on a mild-weather day. Two install techs showed up on-time, and worked efficiently all day. One tech worked outside replacing the compressor, and the other worked inside replacing the air-handler and upgrading the electrical sub panel. The system seemed to work just fine, although we were in that beautiful fall transition time when we didn't need either air conditioning or heat. The next day, I did notice the new indoor sub panel, which had sharp edges, was placed too close and too low next to a passage door near the indoor unit. I called Cropp-Metcalfe, and they dispatched a different tech, who made a very creative and safe modification to the sub panel location, and cleaned-up the sharp edges. All went well until the first really cold spell. My wife noticed a buzzing noise coming from the indoor unit. Upon close inspection, the noise was coming from the new AprilAire whole-house humidifier. The water inlet valve was very hot and buzzing loudly. There was no water coming through the valve, and the humidifier evaporative pad was dry. I placed a service call, and a tech came out the next day. He discovered the water supply saddle valve was never opened during the install, so there was no water going to the humidifier, and the water inlet valve had overheated. The tech also noted the original installer tapped a cold water supply for the humidifier, even though the AprilAire install instructions clearly state for heat pump systems only a hot water supply should be used. (Hot water evaporates better in the "warm" air heat pumps provide, versus the very hot air provided by gas furnaces). This problem was not corrected. Now that we have just experienced this winter's first extended cold temps, including the "Arctic Vortex" this past week, it's obvious the AprilAire humidifier is not able to keep up with humidity demands the Carrier digital thermostat is requesting. The AprilAire runs every time the heat pump comes on, wasting considerable well water through its overflow. I'm not sure whether this is an issue because of the cold water supply, or whether the AprilAire humidifier just isn't efficient enough in a heat pump installation. My response, above, to "Would you use this provider in the future?" is a conditional "yes". We'll most likely keep Cropp-Metcalfe as our servicer because our new heat pump system comes bundled with a five-year service policy. After that time, we'll re-evaluate whether we'll continue our long-standing relationship with Cropp-Metcalfe based upon performance. Update 06/30/14: Now it's the beginning of the first cooling season with this new heat pump system. Unfortunately, this Carrier system favors "energy savings" vs cooling/comfort. Unless the digital thermostat is calling for full cooling and it's bringing the temp down to the thermostat setting at full blower speed, the blower motor spins down to idle, even though the thermostat has been set to "high" continuous fan. Tech was dispatched, and the system was confirmed it's working as engineered. Unlike the last system that permitted the fan to continuously circulate air throughout the house in cooling mode, this system shuts down its blower, so only the room where the thermostat is located on the main floor is cooled to the set temp. The upstairs floor is uncomfortably hot with stagnant air. We've purchased a window air conditioner, and installed it in the master bedroom so we can sleep on hot/humid nights. This new Carrier system was not sized and configured correctly to at least provide the same cooling as the 1997 system it replaced. In hindsight, we should have just waited until the old system died completely, and then chosen another brand for replacement. Lesson learned.

The company quickly responded a few days before Christmas and showed up on Saturday to try to clear the pipe. Subsequently, they decided that the pipe was fully obstructed with material that couldn't be removed with a mechanical device. It required removing a portion of the pipe below the foundation. Even though they offered to come out the day after Christmas, we scheduled them after the first of the year. They were thorough and used a camera to insure that, once the work was completed, there was no further problems in the pipe to the street. Their responsiveness was truly amazing. Also, the work was done professionally, with the company advising us of options throughout the process. We were very pleased.

We have a heat pump on the roof of our two story house in the city and an air handler in the attic. We get decent heat on the top floor, but no heat on the ground floor. The ground floor temperature doesn't get above 64 degrees in the winter even with the heat blasting. CroppMetcalf is the second HVAC contractor I've had look at the situation. I explained when I called that the system works fine, but we don't get any heat on the first floor and what I wanted was a consultation on how to improve the heat flow on the first floor. The technician showed up on time. He explained the pricing policy to me before he started work. His quote - $110 for the first 30 minutes, $35 for every 15 after that - was slightly different from what I was told on the phone - $110 for the first 30 minutes, $35 for every 30 minutes after that. I explained that the problem is not the system, but that we can't get sufficient airflow to carry the heat to the first floor. He proceeded to spend 20 minutes examining our thermostat and explaining to me the difference between system heat and auxiliary heat. Then he gave me a sales pitch on their annual maintenance plan. He then went into the attic to test the system. He took a temperature reading that came out at 140 degrees. (I already knew that the system was producing heat from an earlier maintenance check.) He then went up to the roof to test the heat pump. He spent 20 minutes on the roof and returned to say everything looked fine. At every step in the process, he tried to sell me an annual maintenance plan. At this point, I knew I wasn't getting much of a consultation because he had just told me everything I already knew. I asked if he had any recommendations for improving the heat flow on the first floor. He offered one suggestion: install a fire place. Then he tried to sell me again on an annual maintenance plan. Waste of time and waste of money.

service performed on annual service agreement

They were unsuccessful in trying to clear the drain. They did not have the diagnostic equipment required to look for a blockage below the trap. They charged full retail for a replacement tub faucet valve and a high labor rate only to find out later that Kohler has a lifetime warranty, so the part should have cost me nothing. They must deal with Kohler all the time so I can't believe that they didn't ask about the warranty before ordering the part and charging me for it. The part, by the way, is very simple to install, so I didn't need them at all. I know this now because the valve failed again so I contacted Kohler directly. They apologized and shipped me a new valve free of charge, which I installed within minutes.

I have a Bronze Policy Service Agreement as well as the Plumbing Service Agreement with CroppMetcalfe. The technicians come out and inspect and perform maintenance on my HVAC unit twice a year and once a year they inspect all my exposed plumbing (toilets, faucets, sump pumps, water heater, etc.). The technicians I’ve had have always been prompt, arriving within their service window, and very friendly and knowledgeable. They took their time and made sure everything was working properly, especially on my HVAC unit which is extremely old, but they’ve done a great job keeping it in working order. I think the prices are reasonable for the service agreements. Anytime there is an emergency, it gets you priority service. In one instance a few years ago, my A/C unit quit working and they were out the same day and got it working. As long as you renew each year before the agreement expires, they give you a discounted price on the agreement. In addition to the two service agreements, I’ve also had CroppMetcalfe replace my water heater, which rusted out at the bottom and leaked, as well as my sump pump, which quit working during a 5-day-long span of rain. The water heater was 20 years old, and admittedly needed replacing a long time ago, but they were very competent and thorough in inspecting my old unit and making sure I really needed a new one. They replaced it with a new 50 gallon State Select unit which has been working wonderfully. They also had to do a lot of extra work to bring it up to code. It did not have a drain pan or overflow tank, and the duct work for the vent (it’s a natural gas unit) was venting into the house and not outside. They installed the drain pan and ran PVC pipe down to the sump pump, should it ever leak, and replaced all the duct work for the vent. They really did an excellent job. The sump pump quit working in the middle of the night about midway through a week-long span of rain. At the time, I did not have the plumbing service agreement but CroppMetcalfe was out that same night, and bless those men, it was about 2 or 3am and I was at least the 3 rd or 4 th call that night, but they took their time and made sure everything was done right and I was happy with it. In order to reduce my cost for the emergency service he recommended I sign up for the service agreement because it reduced the price of the sump pump. Signing up for the service agreement and the subsequent installation of the sump pump was cheaper than paying for just the sump pump at the “emergency” rate and now they will come out and check everything once a year so it’s one less worry for me. CroppMetcalfe is a great company that’s just about become a one stop shop for me. I really can’t say enough good things.

Tech arrived on time, however he was brusque and annoyed by questions. He was more than informative in suggesting a potentially falty item in my HVAC. Service was marginal and I will reconsider renewing my service package. I've used Cropp Metcalfe for years in my house in MD and while more expensive I felt the service warranted the price. I had a sales call a few weeks later by Cropp Metcalfe to upgrade my system and he was professional and very informative, but if service can't deliver what's the point of great sales?

They installed our original air conditioning unit 9 years ago. They sold us a Trane unit. We have 2 units, one upstairs and one downstairs. They have been servicing them since that time. I would highly recommend that anyone take their Gold service plan. Their people are very well trained and knowledgeable. They honor the warranty. They are always on time and call ahead of time. Their service employees are just excellent. In 9 years, we have never had a bad serviceman.

We did not breathe down his neck, but heard the customary sounds of metalwork and pipe-fitting going on. He then went up on the roof and installed the new roof vent, more substantial than the original, and did the flashing . He then went in the attic to check the condition of the flue pipe and declared it sound and not needing further work. Last, he vacuumed the basement work area, leaving it cleaner than he found it, and turned our appliances back on. We were most impressed with how quietly he worked and very appreciative of the fact that Seth did not subject us to the maunderings of any talk radio hosts (unlike an employee of another company several years ago). In short, we are very pleased with the prospect of heat and hot water without fear of death by carbon monoxide.

Provider estimated job. Provider did not show up on time for first appointment. Provider is a large organization and had lost track of where vehicle was. We later learned that the vehicle either had been delayed at a previous site or had mechanical problems. Job was rescheduled for another day. Provider came and did job as expected. We were provided with a bill, which we paid promptly. A year later we received a revised bill with a handwritten note asking for another $200 and a statement indicating we were more than a year late in paying our bill. We paid. Six months later we got another invoice indicating that we still had not paid $86.95. It turns out that our original payment of $86.95 had not been properly credited by the provider. Our repeated phone calls and letters to the provider asking for resolution have gone unanswered. The only thing that the provider has done is sent us new bills, with no letter. All in all, this is a very frustrating experience for a provider that is more expensive than the competition but justifies the expense as being a full-service provider that has excellent customer support.

Summary of my experience: Unwilling to put anything in writing prior to acceptance of their offer. Unwilling to honor their word (offer) beyond the day it would be given to me (unwritten) in-person. Use of high pressure sales techniques with an apparent unwillingness to compete against their competitors on a cost basis. Despite being an ACCA member with NATE certified technicians, was unwilling to follow industry best-practice standards to ensure that the equipment they selected for my job was the correct size for my house and insure that my duct work was adequately sized. (Manual J, D, S - not even a block load calc was offered and I collected and gave them all the necessary info to do it) Sales technician presented a defensive and unprofessional demeanor over the phone once I questioned their reluctance to do much of the above. My recommendation to you: You should seek another contractor with whom to do business. Their unwillingness to provide a written quote, work with the customer, compete through a competitive bid process, or to exhibit a willingness to follow industry standards tells me that this company is likely a high-cost, low-quality service provider. There are better options available to you and you should stay away from CroppMetcalfe. CroppMetcalfe is an ACCA member, but does very little of what ACCA recommends that a contractor should do. See this ACCA video yourself: http://youtu.be/V_UfO_GIgUs Details of my experience: I called CroppMetcalfe to get an estimate for a new furnace and A/C unit for my home. The high point of my experience with this contractor was that they were on-time for our in-home appointment and that is it. I think as a customer, it is a reasonable expectation to receive a written estimate from a contractor for planned work. A contractor should assume that their estimate will be compared to their competitor’s product and service offerings and estimates. Unfortunately, after my in-home consultation with the CroppMetcalfe sales technician, I got the distinct impression that they were unwilling to provide me a written estimate. Instead they pressured me to meet in person and accept a verbal offer. My situation is straightforward. I wanted an estimate to replace both my existing furnace and A/C unit. I was interested in receiving a cost quote for a system that is at least as equally efficient as what I have now (AFUE 80, SEER 12), as well as a quote for a higher efficiency system (AFUE >90, SEER >14). I also inquired about how much it would cost to move the furnace a few feet from its current location in preparation for a future renovation project (simply asked for an added cost option to have the duct work redirected to the new location of the new furnace). Apparently providing a quote based on these straightforward circumstances is beyond what this company is capable of or willing to do for its prospective customers. This is a company that touts their membership in the Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA) and as having NATE certified technicians on staff. If you are not familiar with either of these industry organizations (e.g. ACCA or NATE) they support the development of industry best practices and standards that ensure a quality market for consumers. Members of these organizations, such as CroppMetcalf, are supposed to follow specific methods and best practices. As far as I can tell, CroppMetcalfe does neither. Here is a link to the ACCA website that lists what consumers should expect of ACCA contractors: https://www.acca.org/consumer/home-choosing . Here is an ACCA contractor comparison form that ACCA members should be expected to be compared against: https://www.acca.org/Files/?id=186 In my experience, CroppMetcalfe failed to meet many of the ACCA contractor selection requirements and will not be part of my contractor bid comparison sheet because they refused to give me a written bid.

They come when they say they are coming. They are neat and clean and they put the booties on. They fix any problems I have. I have a maintenance agreement so this check was free.

I've used Cropp Metcalf for two years and the quality of their work varies with the technician they send to so the work. I was charged for a visit to determine why the house was not being properly cooled. The technician claimed there was no trouble found and a week later the entire system failed. So I was charged with another visit when the first technician wasn't very interested in looking for the source of the problem. ,

We have used CroppMetcalfe to take care of our gas heat and a/c. We have an annual $150 maintenance contract. They come out twice a year to do seasonal service. We have had 2 other service calls. One case we paid $50 for a new part and no labor. Another time, when the big Derecho storm the other year knocked out the A/C capacitor we paid for the part and discounted labor. The techs have been prompt, friendly, and do good work.

They added some return vents in rooms, so they had a crew to perform the work. They were late, and when I told them that they apologized for it. Other than that there were very professional.

Answered questions about the water heater, valves for the washer and dryer. Also, gave me advise on the gas fireplace. I signed up for the one year contract, otherwise, the service call would have only been $87.

Carlos came over on Labor Day weekend and replaced our kitchen disposal with an even strong, better unit that is soooo quiet. Since my husband was home, he asked a question about the water level in one of our toilets and Carlos said it was fine (another plumber wanted to sell us an entirely new toilet recently!). Just by chance, though, Carlos noticed that one part in the toilet wasn't connected properly, so he fixed it. He offered to check the other toilets and found they all had the same problem!! It was a simple fix, but it wasn't done correctly by our last plumbing company! Carlos even allowed my husband to ask another question about our leaky outside faucets since the other company wanted to brreak through the outside wall of the house to fix one of them. Carlos was able to get in there and do what needed to be done without touching our wall!!!!!!!!!! He was THE most knowledgeable plumber we have used in the 27 years we lived in out house! (we are the original owners). Professional, patient with my husband's many questions, and a true expert. We are so glad that we have a plumbing contract with Metcalfe!